I don't have a lot of "food memories" from my childhood. I didn't have a grandmother who taught me her famous pie crust, or a mother who made fresh pasta every week. There wasn't that kind of connection to food, or as far as I can remember. We were average, like most - just trying to feed ourselves well enough.

I do remember Summers though. As I kid, the warmer months could be memorialized by my constant stomach aches from too many plums (we had a tree - ugh, California..) or too many strawberries. My mom would buy huge crates of fruit from some farmstand & I would eat most of it before my sisters even saw it. I'm not sure I ate much else between the months of May-August.

Fruit desserts are my actual favorite to this day. There's something so refreshing & lovely about them in the warmer months, especially when you can't (physically) eat any more fresh fruit. I can still put down almost half a moderately-sized watermelon if I wanted, but for the most part - I bake. Curbs the Summer aches & is much better for sharing with others.

| This cake can be made with any seasonal fruit - It would be great with Sour Cherries or red currants! |

1 cup almond meal or flour

3/4 cup brown rice flour

3/4 cup sorghum flour

1/4 cup arrowroot or tapioca flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup greek yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk

4oz. rhubarb stalks, cut into 1 inch pieces

4 oz. strawberries, chopped

2 oz. raspberries

Zest of 2 lemons

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

1/4 cup ghee or butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all flours, baking powder, and salt until well combined. In another mixing bowl, mix together lemon zest & 1/2 cup sugar with your fingers until mixed well & fragrant. Add rhubarb stalks & berries to stir & gently macerate. In a small bowl, stir together lemon juice & yogurt and set aside.

Add eggs, butter and yogurt to whisked flour mixture. Stir until mixed well. At the last minute, mix in berries & rhubarb until well combined.

Grease an 8-inch springform cake pan well. Pour cake batter and spread top evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle remaining sugar over top. Bake for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean & the edges are golden brown. Let cool for 25 minutes before removing from pan.

I'm a big fan of cakes – specifically tea and breakfast cakes that are easy to make and don't involve tiers or frosting. They feel like the perfect everyday treat & something you could throw together on a slow afternoon with almost no planning. That's my favorite way to bake - on a whim when I miraculously have all the ingredients I need.

It's been a long Winter, and as much as I've had a complete love affair with citrus, I'm so looking forward to the Spring/Summer produce ahead. (I mean, remember red currants?) The weather is finally starting to reflect that it's straight-up Springtime and I'm ready for some real fruit. Rhubarb, I'm comin for you...

In another small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, zest and coconut oil or butter. Slowly combine wet with dry, folding batter to combine well.

Add batter to well-greased bundt pan, making sure each is three-quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned around the edges. Let cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, then carefully remove cakes from the pan. Cool on a wire rack before glazing.

Creme Fraiche Glaze

1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted

1/3 cup creme fraiche

2 tablespoons clementine juice

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, creme fruit and mandarin juice.

NOTES: I used a mini bundt pan, but you can use any cake pan or even a muffin tin to make “mini cakes”. Also, feel free to use any citrus here - any mandarin, navel orange or meyer lemon would be great. Creme Fraiche can also be subbed for mascarpone or cream cheese.

As much as I love any and all baked goods (especially homemade) doughtnuts have never been my go-to. I realize deep-fried, sugar-covered things are generally liked by literally everyone, but for me, they don't always have a ton of flavor.

Not these little guys, though. I've been obsessed with this amazing combination after trying the famous Ovenly Loaf and decided to test out my new mini doughnut pan while I'm at it. This recipe makes over two dozen mini doughtnuts, but I promise you won't be able to keep them around long.

In another small bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla, zest and butter. Slowly combine wet with dry, folding batter to combine well.

Using a pastry bag, pipe batter into well-greased mini doughnut pan, making sure each is three-quarters full. Bake for exactly 10 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, then carefully remove cakes from the pan. Cool on a wire rack before glazing.

MASCARPONE GLAZE:

1 cup confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons almond or hempmilk

2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup pistachios, roughly chopped

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together first four ingredients until smooth and well-combined. Dip doughnuts into glaze and set on a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Before glaze has set, sprinkle each doughnut with pistachio. Serve &/or eat immediately!